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Wheels, Tires, Suspension & Brakes ForumDiscuss wheels, tires, suspension and brakes for your Mercedes-Benz.
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So my New CLS 450 4MATIC has picked up a nail in the tire, it's got about 1000 miles on it now and the nail is on the rear driver side. I have posted pictures of the nail, the replacement cost as per Mercedes Benz via the dealer website is about $600.00.
It's not loosing any air and I have nothing planned for the next few days and spare cars, so just wondering the best course of action, do I take it to a tire shop or the the dealer.
My worry with the dealer is that they only talk about replacement, they won't even pull the nail out and see if it is OK to run as is; just seems a tad wasteful to me.....
Dealers are no longer "allowed" to fix or plug the tire,, they have to sell you a new one. Given its center location, I have plugged it multiple times on previous cars with no issue. Take it to a local tire shop or if you have a costco near you, they will do it as well and I believe at no charge.
I'd go to a tire shop. NOT the dealer.Don't know where you live, but if in the US I'd go to Discount tire. That is easily fixable and if your comfortable, wouldn't need a whole new tire. Patches have come a long way since back in the day Good luck to ya!
The nail is closer to the sidewall, but I agree is probably repairable. Looks like this one punched through, but as is the case most of the time, the nail itself actually keeps it from losing air. It's correct, that dealership tend to not repair tires, because a repaired tire loses its speed rating. It's not guaranteed that it will hold up at higher speeds, but manufacturers have repair kits and recommended repair procedures. A proper repair involves taking the tire off and inspect the inside of the damage, then properly prep the area and put a patch and a plug on it. The patch will properly seal it and the plug prevents moisture getting to the belts. The patch then gets vulcanized onto the existing rubber. I've had many of my tires repaired, but I wouldn't go on a track or if I lived in Germany drive at tripple digit speeds with a repaired tire, but here in the USA, not much of an issue. I even still go ***** out canyon driving with a repaired tire and never had any issues. I wouldn't personally go to a discount tire shop, though. I have a performance indy shop here where I get my wear&tear things done. I know they properly repair and also road force balance the tire afterwards. I used to go a tire shop around there. All they do is tires, and I once observed them repairing my tire. While they properly patched/plugged it, they didn't balance it afterwards. They just marked the tire and wheel with chalked and put it back on in the same place. I didn't have vibrations afterwards, but this approach might be sufficient for a Camry, but not a performance car, so that was the last time I went there.
Last edited by superswiss; Jan 31, 2021 at 06:48 PM.
The nail is closer to the sidewall, but I agree is probably repairable. Looks like this one punched through, but as is the case most of the time, the nail itself actually keeps it from losing air. It's correct, that dealership tend to not repair tires, because a repaired tire loses its speed rating. It's not guaranteed that it will hold up at higher speeds, but manufacturers have repair kits and recommended repair procedures. A proper repair involves taking the tire off and inspect the inside of the damage, then properly prep the area and put a patch and a plug on it. The patch will properly seal it and the plug prevents moisture getting to the belts. The patch then gets vulcanized onto the existing rubber. I've had many of my tires repaired, but I wouldn't go on a track or if I lived in Germany drive at tripple digit speeds with a repaired tire, but here in the USA, not much of an issue. I even still go ***** out canyon driving with a repaired tire and never had any issues. I wouldn't personally go to a discount tire shop, though. I have a performance indy shop here where I get my wear&tear things done. I know they properly repair and also road force balance the tire afterwards. I used to go a tire shop around there. All they do is tires, and I once observed them repairing my tire. While they properly patched/plugged it, they didn't balance it afterwards. They just marked the tire and wheel with chalked and put it back on in the same place. I didn't have vibrations afterwards, but this approach might be sufficient for a Camry, but not a performance car, so that was the last time I went there.
Curious to know the name of the place that repaired your tire without putting it on a road force afterwards? Discount Tire has state of the art balancing equipment
Curious to know the name of the place that repaired your tire without putting it on a road force afterwards? Discount Tire has state of the art balancing equipment
I'd go to a tire shop. NOT the dealer.Don't know where you live, but if in the US I'd go to Discount tire. That is easily fixable and if your comfortable, wouldn't need a whole new tire. Patches have come a long way since back in the day Good luck to ya!
thank you, I am in northern virginia, so it will be the tire shop tommorow for a patch.
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Good luck to ya!
